"I can’t believe I’m sitting here, watching over him," Aiden muttered under his breath, his gaze fixed on Sidney, who slept soundly in the hospital bed. Only hours ago, he had saved Sidney’s life, and now, as the room filled with the soft hum of machinery, Aiden found himself grappling with the reality of it all. What had come over him? He’d actually jumped in front of the car to pull this man off! He should have been cheering for the driver instead who tried to run him over.
What had Sidney been thinking? It wasn’t like him to be careless. Sidney was always meticulous, always had a plan. And yet, this time he had been caught off guard, alone, without even a single guard to protect him. Why? And was it really a coincidence that the moment he let his guard down, someone had tried to kill him? Could it be related to Serena?
Just then, a knock on the door sounded and a nurse entered. "Sir, these are his personal artefacts."
A soft knock interrupted his thoughts. A nurse entered, carrying a small tray in her hands. "Sir, these are the patient’s personal belongings," she said, handing the tray over.
Aiden nodded,"Thank you."
As the nurse left, he placed the tray on the small table beside Sidney’s bed. His eyes flickered over the items—Sidney’s wallet, phone, and a watch. He paused thoughtfully as he stared at the wallet. Was it possible that he was still carrying Serena’s picture around? Curious, he was about to open the wallet but before he could, the man opened his eyes, returning to the land of living.
With a groan, he turned his head to look at him before turning back to look at the ceiling as he croaked, "Need Water."
He turned to press the call button, but Sidney, despite his condition, still managed to muster the energy for a smirk. "What’s wrong? Afraid you might actually have to do something useful for once?"
Aiden shot him a sharp look, his brow furrowed as he rolled his eyes. "You really have the nerve to talk like that when I’m the reason you’re still breathing, huh? I would think that was useful..."
Sidney gave a half-hearted chuckle, though it sounded more like a wheeze. "Come on, Aiden. You pushed me out of the way of that car, preventing me from going under it, might as well go all the way. What’s one more favor?"
Grumbling under his breath, Aiden pushed himself out of the chair. "You’re insufferable, you know that?" he muttered as he grabbed the plastic cup of water from the bedside table. "The least you could do is thank me, but no, here I am—your personal servant."
Sidney’s lips twitched into a faint grin as Aiden brought the cup over and held it up to his mouth. "I knew you cared," Sidney whispered with a weak but smug look on his face.
Aiden tilted the cup a little too abruptly, making Sidney sputter slightly as he drank. "Careful," Sidney grumbled as he tried to catch his breath. "You trying to drown me now?"
Aiden leaned in, his voice low with mock menace. "Trust me, if I were going to get rid of you, it wouldn’t be with drowning. I’d have poisoned it when I had the chance."
"You’re all heart, Aiden. I guess I should thank you for not poisoning it."
Aiden set the cup back down, giving him a sidelong glance. "Don’t push your luck, Sidney. I’m still debating if saving you was worth it. And the only reason this is not poisoned is because I don’t carry such things around. So, why’d you stay? You got me to the hospital, you should have gone back."
"And leave you here to harass the poor hospital staff. We are in a different country. I cannot let you besmirch our country’s name with your ill behavior. Can I? I had to stay back to leave the correct impression."
Even though Sidney did not look like he believed it, Aiden simply held his gaze. Of course he wouldn’t tell him that he’d stayed for his sake. If the person who wanted Sidney dead was the same person who’d attacked Serena and killed Owen then he needed to get to the bottom of this. Which meant finding a chance to question Sidney without raising his suspicions. And this accident had provided the perfect opportunity.
"So, Sidney Price, who did you piss off this time that they decided to off you?"
"Who is to say, I did something?" Sidney pointed out as Aiden shrugged, " Well you are correct. Just your breathing is enough to piss off people."
Sidney chuckled weakly at Aiden’s jab, though the lightness in his voice faded quickly. He glanced at the ceiling, a shadow passing over his face. "Maybe... maybe it’s not about me at all," he muttered, his voice quieter now, as if speaking more to himself than to Aiden.
Aiden leaned forward slightly, his eyes narrowed, "What do you mean?"
Sidney hesitated, his jaw tightening. "There’s someone else... someone I promised to protect." He paused before continuing, "I thought I could handle it, keep them safe. But now... it seems like I’ve failed."
Aiden’s heart rate quickened, but he kept his face neutral, waiting for more. Was Sidney talking about Serena? However, when the man remained quiet, he bit the bullet and prompted," So? what does that have to do with you? Who is this unlucky person that you swore to protect?"
Sidney’s eyes flickered over to Aiden, and Aiden tried to keep his face composed so as not to give away that he was digging for an answer. "I—" However, as he started to talk, he stopped himself abruptly, then shook his head. "Doesn’t matter. I’ll deal with it."
Aiden clenched his hands. Dam* it! He just needed confirmation if Serena was a target or not and if she was then why?
."Sidney, if someone’s in danger, you need to tell me. You can’t just—"
But before he could finish, Sidney decisively changed the subject, his voice suddenly more dismissive. "Too tired for this right now," he mumbled, waving a hand weakly. "Maybe tomorrow, Aiden. Right now, I need to sleep. Thanks for being such a great enemy."